The mailing of a document or the like by Certified Mail, including the manual filling out of the requisite postal service forms is time-consuming. The preparation of Certified Mail becomes particularly labor-intensive when large quantities of such mail are generated.
As a consequence, prior art workers have devised various types of document mailers and systems for Certified Mail. This is exemplified, for example, by U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,827. Generally, the prior art mailers and systems are characterized by complexity of construction and use.
Prior art workers have also devised various types of envelopes for Certified Mail, severable from a continuous strip of such envelopes. In the most common practice, the return receipt form is removably affixed to the face of the envelope adjacent to one end thereof, or constitutes a separate portion extending from one end of the envelope with a line of perforations along which it may be severed from the adjacent end of the envelope. Many of this these last mentioned prior art mailers are of such nature that the contents of the envelope must be located within the envelope at the time of envelope assembly. In other words, these envelopes are not intended to have a document placed in them after the envelope has been assembled and, therefore, they do not constitute multi-purpose envelopes. Envelopes of this general type are usually too wide for use with most conventional computer printers and optical bar code scanners.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,203 teaches an envelope assembly which overcomes most of the above-indicated problems. The envelope assembly is so dimensioned as to be capable of being fed through a computer printer and an optical scanner. It is also capable of receiving and enclosing an 8 and 1/2 inch wide document.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,203 teaches the making of the envelope assembly in the form of a continuous strip of such assemblies provided in roll form or zig-zag fold form for feeding through a computer printer. The envelope assemblies may be provided with detachable, perforated pin feed edge portions for the drive of certain types of computer printers. For other types of printers, such as laser printers, the envelopes may be detached from the strip and individually fed therethrough without the requirement of pin feed edge strips. Each envelope assembly of the strip thereof comprises a front panel and flap member separated by a fold line. Each front panel and flap member is joined to the next front panel and flap member at a line of perforations so that it may ultimately be torn from the continuous strip. A discrete second ply, constituting a rear panel of the envelope assembly, is glued to the front panel in such a way as to form an opening extending along the fold line of the flap. A return receipt card is removably affixed to the outside surface of each envelope assembly flap. A Certified Mail endorsement is preprinted on each front panel centrally thereof and adjacent the fold line between the front panel and the flap. A return receipt request is preprinted on each front panel adjacent and beneath its Certified Mail endorsement.
The present invention constitutes an improvement upon the envelope assemblies of U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,203. The present invention is based upon the discovery that an even simpler Certified Mail envelope, easier to make and use, can be provided. In a first embodiment, the rear panel and flap of the envelope constitute a one-piece integral structure and are made of thin card stock. The return receipt card constitutes an integral, one-piece part of the envelope rear panel and is removable therefrom along lines of perforations. The envelope is provided with a front panel having a window therein. The flap folds over the upper part of the front panel and is provided with the Certified Mail endorsement and the return receipt request. In a second embodiment the front panel and flap of the envelope constitute a one-piece integral structure made of card stock. The return receipt card constitutes an integral, one-piece part of the flap and is removable therefrom along lines of perforations. The envelope is provided with a rear panel and the flap folds over the upper part of the rear panel.